Police: Man found dead was robbery suspect

Shawn M. Carter, 32, of Shelburne is seen in this police photo released Sept. 23, 2016. Carter was identified Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016, as the person found dead three days earlier in a wooded area in South Burlington.(Photo11: COURTESY COLCHESTER POLICE)

A man whose body was discovered Monday in South Burlington was a suspect in a pair of recent robberies in Colchester, police said Thursday.

Shawn M. Carter, 32, whose last known address was in Shelburne, was identified as the man whose remains were located in the woods near Patchen and Arbor roads, police said. The authorities initially were unable to identify the body.

The man's identity was confirmed through his fingerprints with the help of the U.S. Marshals Service and Burlington police, Colchester Detective Jack Lehneman said in a statement.

South Burlington police have said an initial investigation determined the person might have died as the result of an accidental drug overdose. South Burlington Detective Sarah Superneau said in a statement Thursday that the cause and manner of death are "pending toxicology results and final medical examiner’s report."

A request by the Burlington Free Press is pending for Carter's death certificate.

Lehneman said Sept. 23 that Carter was wanted in connection with the Sept. 18 larceny at Simon's Four Corners Store and the Sept. 12 assault and robbery at the Rite Aid pharmacy.

This story was first posted online on Sept. 29, 2016, and has been updated.

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